NEW YORK MILLS — The New York Mills Regional Cultural Center announceD four finalists from the essay contest portion of the 30th Annual Great American Think-Off.
These four finalists will participate in a June 10 live debate in New York Mills. They are Gretchen Mayer of Mansfield, South Dakota; Douglas McClain of Fergus Falls; Allen Taylor of Colorado Springs, Colorado; and Timur Usenov of Maple Grove. These four essayists each win $500 and a weekend trip to New York Mills in June to participate in the live philosophical debate.
During the debate, the finalists will defend their essays, arguing their side of the question, “Which is more important to protect: the environment or the economy?” Mayer and McClain assert the environment is more important to protect, while Taylor and Usenov argue protecting the economy is more important.
The Great American Think-Off is an exhibition of civil disagreement between powerful ideas being explored by everyday people. Designed to bring philosophy down from the ivory towers of academia and make it accessible for all, the contest has received national acclaim including coverage by C-SPAN, the New York Times, and The Today Show, organizers noted.
The debate among the four armchair philosophers is 7 p.m. Saturday, June 10, 2023. All audience members are invited to cast their vote for who they think makes the best argument. The winner will earn the title of America’s Greatest Thinker for 2023.
Tickets to attend the live debate are $12 in advance or $15 at the door; students are $5. The debate is held in the New York Mills Public School Auditorium. A reception honoring the finalists is held at the Cultural Center immediately following the debate and is open to all.
The finalists will be available to meet the public at the Great American Think-Off Kick-Off event the evening of Friday, June 9, at the New York Mills Regional Cultural Center during a Philosophers & Artists Reception from 6-8 p.m. This reception is free to attend and open to all. To celebrate the Think-Off’s 30th anniversary, weather permitting, an outdoor live music event is being planned to follow the reception.
The 2023 finalists bring a variety of learned and lived experiences to the stage in New York Mills to aid in the defense of their positions, a news release stated. The inclusion of personal experience has always been a requirement of the essay and debate contest.
Mayer graduated with a master’s degree in sociology and, after a long stint in social work and as executive director of the Diversity Committee, found her true calling as a journalist. Now retired, Mayer divides her time watching the moody ocean of the Gulf of Mexico and the windswept prairie of South Dakota.
McClain works as a wildlife biologist in Fergus Falls. He is a graduate of Muskingum University and Southern Illinois University. While not native to Minnesota, McClain has taken a liking to all things winter and outdoors, including ice fishing, curling, hunting, hiking and camping with his family.
Taylor, a professional photographer and long-haul truck driver from Colorado Springs, is a self-described "information sponge," and spends much of his 14-hour workday considering national and local hot-topic issues. Taylor is a Minnesotan recently transplanted to Colorado Springs, where he lives with his fiancé Trish and his dog Milo.
Usenov is a Maple Grove high school senior and a soon-to-be college student at the University of Minnesota. Usenov has been participating in speech and debate for four years because of his love of public speaking and his strong passion for writing. He has always enjoyed political and philosophical questions and aspires to become an author/lawyer.
Want to know more? Several “Pop-Up Think-Offs” are being planned in the New York Mills area in the coming weeks to give local residents a chance to share their thoughts, engage in conversation and win some prizes leading up to the live debate. Dates and locations will be announced.
For more information or to buy tickets, call the Cultural Center at 218-385-3339, visit the Center's website at kulcher.org or get tickets online at thinkoff2023.bpt.me.
